[Regia-NA] Alfred's ships

[Chris Boulton]

Thomas Jordan wrote:
> I thought Alfred was unsuccessful on the sea against the Vikings. Does
anyone know if there is some hydrodynamic explanaton for this?

In all honesty I doubt it, or if so, probably not enough to make a very
significant difference. It's notoriously difficult to manouver a fleet of
sailing ships at sea to bring them into contact with the enemy, most
especially if your ships are not very efficient at tacking against the wind
and you don't even hear about where the enemy is until days after they got
there.

The Vikings had all the advantages, in that they could turn up "out of the
blue" as it were, and Alfred's ships then had to hear of where they were,
then wait for a favourable wind, then sail to wherever it was only to find
the Vikings had been and gone.

It must've been horribly frustrating.

Chris.